Third Generation Camaro – 1982-92
John Cafaro, executive director, Chevrolet Global Car Design (Previously owned: Third-generation Camaro ‘1LE’ racecar)
“The third-generation Camaro will always be a cultural symbol of the 1980s because its design epitomized the era’s high-tech cultural trends,” says Cafaro. “It also grew into more of a serious sports car and with that, its form was wrapped around a chassis system designed for a new level of function.”
To support that more performance-oriented mission, an aggressive front end was designed to enhance downforce. And for the first time, the Camaro was offered as a hatchback – another automotive archetype of the 1980s.
“The third-generation Camaro represented a distinct breakaway from the previous generations, which were undeniably influenced by European grand touring cars,” notes Cafaro. “This was a uniquely American design with a form developed for function – and its aggressive front-end styling was deemed almost too aggressive by some in the company.”
The third-generation Camaro was also the first high-volume American car to incorporate aero-enhancing, racing-inspired ground effects, and its large backlight, which comprised most of the hatchback, represented a technological achievement for automotive glass production because of its size and compound-curve sculpture. Customers and the media responded. Sales jumped 50 percent for 1982 and the Camaro Z28 was named the 1982 Motor Trend Car of the Year.
“Perhaps more than any other generation, the third-generation Camaro was a car of its time,” says Cafaro. “You can see that influence in every detail of the car, from the aerodynamic details of the exterior, such as the ground effects on the Z28, to the introduction of digital instruments on the interior.”
Cafaro’s third-generation Camaro design highlights include focus on the 1982 Z28, with its quad rectangular headlamps, which gave Camaro a contemporary appearance and were part of the aggressive front-end design. A hatchback was de rigueur in the 1980s and the Camaro’s large backlight compound-curved glass was a technological achievement in its day.
Ground effects on the Z28 were inspired by Formula 1 racecars and represented the first production application for a mass-produced American car – kicking off a trend that would become an industry-wide staple of 1980s automotive design
Linear five-spoke wheels complemented the car’s angular proportion, while its characteristic sharp bodyside crease was part of Camaro’s DNA and neatly divided the upper and lower sections of the angular body. At the rear, large, multi-color taillights spanned the rear panel, adding to the high-tech ambience of the era.
